WHO IS THE DARK LADY? WHAT ARE THE MAJOR THEORIES BEHIND THE IDENTITY OF THE DARK LADY, IF SHE REALLY EXISTED?
Manisha P.
English 8-3
3/01/10 The Dark Lady
The Dark Lady played an important role in Shakespeare’s poetry and sonnets. The story of the Dark Lady cannot be told, without telling about the Fair Youth, Rival Poet, and the Poet. Shakespeare describes all these people in 154 sonnets. The sonnets consist of two unequal parts: Sonnets 1-126 and Sonnets 127-154. The first part describes a young man, who is called the Fair Youth. It also involves another main character, the Rival Poet. The second part tells us about the Dark Lady. The Poet, who is thought to be Shakespeare, is the main persona in both of these parts, who is betrayed by these people.
The first part of the sonnets is very mysterious because of the Fair Youth. The Fair Youth is the Poet’s friend. The Poet declares his love toward the Fair Youth in various ways. He always speaks about the Fair Youth’s beauty and he also tries to convince the Fair Youth to “marry and have children in order to perpetuate that beauty beyond his eventual death,” said Jon Ciccarelli in his article “Commentary.” Also, he uses traditional love poetry to describe his love. Soon, the Poet learns that the friend doesn’t love him in return and is paying attention to another poet, known as the Rival Poet. According to Ciccarelli in his article “Rival Poet Sonnets,” “The Poet is railing against the Fair Youth for paying attention to another poet who he claims has a superior writing ability to his.” The Poet sees the Rival Poet as a competition for fame and patronage. The Rival Poet is trying to capture the Fair Youth’s beauty, but the Rival Poet just disappears and the love returns between the Poet and the Fair Youth. The first part ends with a description of the young man’s beauty.
The second part of the sonnets led to many questions, which remain unanswered. Sonnets 127-154 involve the Dark Lady. The Poet was also having an affair with the Dark Lady. She isn’t called the Dark Lady in Shakespeare’s sonnets, but we refer to her as this because of her dark nature, dark morals, dark hair, and dark complexion. The Dark Lady may be married, but this isn’t a proven fact. Later on, the Dark Lady betrays “the poet's love by loving other men,” said Ciccarelli. She even had an affair with the Fair Youth, which leaves the poet deserted his two of his loves.
There are many theories behind the true identity of the Dark Lady. Some say she was just a fictional character whom Shakespeare created. Others say that Shakespeare’s Dark Lady was Mary Fittons, an attractive lady, who lived at Gawsworth Hall. She is buried near the Church of St. James the Great. In 1595, she married Sir William Knollys, who was a comptroller of the Royal Household. Things didn’t work out, so she married William Herbert. There is no proof how Mary found the time to become Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, though. In the article “Shakespeare’s Dark Lady of the Sonnets, many people “argue that the opening lines of the hundred and thirty-fifth Sonnet, “Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will, And Will to boot, and Will in overplus,” is a punning reference to her three lovers Knollys, Herbert and Shakespeare, all of whom share the same Christian name, William.” These are some of the mysterious reasons why it is believed that Mary Fittons was Shakespeare’s Dark Lady.
Another person who might be the Dark Lady is Emilia Bassano Lanier. The Dark Lady is “a woman who is dark in complexion and eyes, musically inclined, unscrupulous and married.” “The most convincing women possessing these myriad qualities is Emilia Bassano Lanier, said Jon Ciccarelli in an article called “Dark Lady Sonnets.” Another reason she is suggested to be Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is that she was married to Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, Shakespeare’s company patron. Emilia was also a poet, so she might have some connection with Shakespeare. There are many theories surrounding the identity of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, but who the Dark Lady really will remain forever a mystery…
Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More. Delta, November 10, 1991. 608-609. Print.
Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare: The World as Stage. Eminent Lives , October 23, 2007. 140-141. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen . Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. W. W. Norton & Company, September 30, 2004. 233-234. Print.
Wells, Stanley W. Shakespeare: For All Time. Oxford University Press, USA, January 2, 2003. 88-89. Print.
WHO IS THE DARK LADY? WHAT ARE THE MAJOR THEORIES BEHIND THE IDENTITY OF THE DARK LADY, IF SHE REALLY EXISTED?
Manisha P.
English 8-3
3/01/10
The Dark Lady
The Dark Lady played an important role in Shakespeare’s poetry and sonnets. The story of the Dark Lady cannot be told, without telling about the Fair Youth, Rival Poet, and the Poet. Shakespeare describes all these people in 154 sonnets. The sonnets consist of two unequal parts: Sonnets 1-126 and Sonnets 127-154. The first part describes a young man, who is called the Fair Youth. It also involves another main character, the Rival Poet. The second part tells us about the Dark Lady. The Poet, who is thought to be Shakespeare, is the main persona in both of these parts, who is betrayed by these people.
The first part of the sonnets is very mysterious because of the Fair Youth. The Fair Youth is the Poet’s friend. The Poet declares his love toward the Fair Youth in various ways. He always speaks about the Fair Youth’s beauty and he also tries to convince the Fair Youth to “marry and have children in order to perpetuate that beauty beyond his eventual death,” said Jon Ciccarelli in his article “Commentary.” Also, he uses traditional love poetry to describe his love. Soon, the Poet learns that the friend doesn’t love him in return and is paying attention to another poet, known as the Rival Poet. According to Ciccarelli in his article “Rival Poet Sonnets,” “The Poet is railing against the Fair Youth for paying attention to another poet who he claims has a superior writing ability to his.” The Poet sees the Rival Poet as a competition for fame and patronage. The Rival Poet is trying to capture the Fair Youth’s beauty, but the Rival Poet just disappears and the love returns between the Poet and the Fair Youth. The first part ends with a description of the young man’s beauty.
The second part of the sonnets led to many questions, which remain unanswered. Sonnets 127-154 involve the Dark Lady. The Poet was also having an affair with the Dark Lady. She isn’t called the Dark Lady in Shakespeare’s sonnets, but we refer to her as this because of her dark nature, dark morals, dark hair, and dark complexion. The Dark Lady may be married, but this isn’t a proven fact. Later on, the Dark Lady betrays “the poet's love by loving other men,” said Ciccarelli. She even had an affair with the Fair Youth, which leaves the poet deserted his two of his loves.
There are many theories behind the true identity of the Dark Lady. Some say she was just a fictional character whom Shakespeare created. Others say that Shakespeare’s Dark Lady was Mary Fittons, an attractive lady, who lived at Gawsworth Hall. She is buried near the Church of St. James the Great. In 1595, she married Sir William Knollys, who was a comptroller of the Royal Household. Things didn’t work out, so she married William Herbert. There is no proof how Mary found the time to become Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, though. In the article “Shakespeare’s Dark Lady of the Sonnets, many people “argue that the opening lines of the hundred and thirty-fifth Sonnet, “Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will, And Will to boot, and Will in overplus,” is a punning reference to her three lovers Knollys, Herbert and Shakespeare, all of whom share the same Christian name, William.” These are some of the mysterious reasons why it is believed that Mary Fittons was Shakespeare’s Dark Lady.
Another person who might be the Dark Lady is Emilia Bassano Lanier. The Dark Lady is “a woman who is dark in complexion and eyes, musically inclined, unscrupulous and married.” “The most convincing women possessing these myriad qualities is Emilia Bassano Lanier, said Jon Ciccarelli in an article called “Dark Lady Sonnets.” Another reason she is suggested to be Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is that she was married to Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, Shakespeare’s company patron. Emilia was also a poet, so she might have some connection with Shakespeare. There are many theories surrounding the identity of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, but who the Dark Lady really will remain forever a mystery…
Work Cited
Web Sites:
Ciccarelli, Jon . "Commentary." SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS . Hudson
Shakespeare Company, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/sonnets/son
net_commentary.htm>.
Ciccarelli , Jon. "Dark Lady Sonnets." SHAKE-SPEARES SONNET
Hudson Shakespeare Company, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/sonnets
/dark_lady_sonnets.htm>.
Ciccarelli , Jon. "Fair Youth Sonnets." SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS .
Hudson Shakespeare Company, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/Poetry/
Young%20Man%20sonnets.htm>.
Ciccarelli , Jon. "Rival Poet Sonnets." SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS .
Hudson Shakespeare Company, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/sonnets
/rival_poet_sonnets.htm>.
Jones, Richard. "Shakespeare's Dark Lady of the Sonnets. ." Richard
Jone's London Walking Tours . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://www.walksoflondon.co.uk/64/shakespeares-dark-lady-
of.shtml>.
Books:
Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More. Delta, November 10, 1991. 608-609. Print.
Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare: The World as Stage. Eminent Lives , October 23, 2007. 140-141. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen . Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. W. W. Norton & Company, September 30, 2004. 233-234. Print.
Wells, Stanley W. Shakespeare: For All Time. Oxford University Press, USA, January 2, 2003. 88-89. Print.
Mary Fittons Or Emilia Bassano Lanier?